When I'm on the forum, I always kind of try to imagine you all, while I'm talking to you. What is your home like: do you have a house or appartment? Do you have garden with a view or no view. What are your surroundings like? (Nature or city) Where is your computer in your home?For those of you who don't mind breaking the myth and the mystery, come on and describe your home to us...

I live in the outskirts of Paris in a three room appartment. I have a beautiful view from the bedrooms of our place, which is on top of a hill, over the whole surrounding region. We have quite a large living room with big windows and a view onto a running track surrounded by greenery. This is not bad at all for the Paris region which is very very expensive...(we rent)My computer is in a small room with no windows but I'm saving up for a portable which I will then use on our small balcony.(Don't need to give any idea about your social status or wealth, or lack of it, just give us the overall feeling and atmosphere)

the outside of my home is like all the others, as the neighbourhood has building guidelines, so it's white, black roof. In front it looks out on the sea about 100m away, the back looks over unused farmland and a small mountain, where buck, mongoose, rabbits, birds etc live. In spring the open field is covered in yellow daisies. At present I have no neighbours either side or in front of me, only diagonally opposite.
The computer is in the office at the front of the house, and the office, as does the rest of the house, has a large window so that we can see the sea.
Where I live is semi rural, just three rows of houses from the sea and then further along(right) a gated golf estate on the sea, and then a small seaside village(left) on the other side.

I also have a flat - on the second floor of a small purpose built block on the edge of St Helier, Jersey's town. It is fairly new but has nice big rooms - a living/dining room, one large double bed-room and a bijou (but well-equipped) kitchen.... It is south facing (so gets all the sun) and has a nice big sun terrace - perhaps I should equip it with a braai....Despite being on the edge of town, it is almost surrounded by trees which make for a pleasant view and help to cut out the noise

This is the second time I am trying to reply. I hope that all my children's concerned suitors... just ... disappear...
(from my side.. 1 s... 2 'ps.)
I have an impossibly blue sky from my window.
I am a morning person and when I get up, my heart sings..
until I see the chaos of my animals.
I have 4 dogs and 6 cats.
I also work from home... that is another story.
I live in a house that has a history. I am still trying to work out why this house seduced me as it did.
I live in a house where the labradors try to mount the siamese cats children invite friends, wondering why there is ever an issue about acceptance..
I have arches in my house that remind me of a monastry. I look at the flow, and I think, ok, that is what is was all about.
Bottom line, I love my house, but is not going to reach the pages of "Cosmo".
I absolutely enjoy my house. It is just so not going to get into any magazine pages, it is just so in your face my house does not understand rules...
even Freda could live in my house.
What is it about my house?
It is about the love.
As a mother, I sometimes miss the plot. I never miss the chance for mixed up love

The bird doesn't sing because it has answers, it sings because it has a song.

This is our house [ in winter time]in the middle of nature. Our neighbours are wild pigs, red deer, roe deer, foxes and much more.We live their with 6 dogs, cats and a roe deer. Upstairs, I have a PC for making films, my son has a PC and downstairs Yvonne has a PC to put all here photo's on.My studio is in the back yard. For us the most beautiful place their is.

Lets change the world of mankind into the world of kind man.[White Bull]

Lets see
House built in 1930
Al wooden panel doors
orininal wooden floors upstairs
Living room is 7,50 long
4,20 wide
Kitchen 4.20 x 180
All new
2 big bedrooms
1 small room
1 small shower with washing machine
One loft where we stash our extra,s
Garden 5.20 x 7.50
With a small pond with ten salamanders
And i forgot the cat, 15 yrs old

Nice thing about our house is that we can cycle in 15 min to the city centre or to the outdoors.
And that in a city with 130,000 people

And with close to one of western europes biggest marshes, the Biesbosch. 20 min by bike

I live in a residential park home.(Trailer in USA.) We are in a national park The New Forest. Deer, foxes, squirrels field mice(and rats)countless pheasants, lots of other birds (I have bluetits nesting in a box on my paved patio) hedgehogs and of course the New Forest ponies.
We Have Lounge, Kitchen, Bathroom, One bedroom and a hall and porch, at the end of the hall is my computer "office"all in a 40ftX 10ft space. We also have a decking ares so lots of room for a braii.We do have all mod cons for those of you that haven't come across a park home ie. central heating electricity gas, tiled roof double glazing and a very lovely veiw We areabout 1-2 miles from The Solent,and can see the Isle of Wight from the road . Sadly not allowed pets but we do have goldfish in a pond and frogs and when it gets hot a grass snake cools off in there.

I know my profile says Portsmouth - that's the biggest nearest town. I actually live about 10 miles (as the crow flies) across the harbour and along the coast. My town is a small coastal town, mainly filled with retirement flats (I'm about 30 years too early), on the Solent, one of the busy parts of the English Channel. We live about 5 mins from the sea front, from where we have glorious views of Cowes and Ryde on the Isle of Wight and also Osborne House, where Queen Victoria "retired" to.
During the summer there is always something going on in the Solent - yacht races, jetskiing, windsurfers and kitesurfing - it can get quite colourful. There are 3 pubs which serve food, 2 indian restaurants, one Italian restaurant, a kebab shop and a chippy, so all needs are catered for. Some photos of the area I live in can be found here and here

I live in a 30 year old 3 bedroomed house, an end terrace. My front garden, along with 15 other houses surrounds a pathway through the estate, forming a little square and is very peaceful. We are slowly modernising the decor. The downstairs consists of a large living room/dining room running the length of the house, with patio doors onto the back garden and a tiny kitchen. We have one bedroom, the cat has another (which he reluctantly has to share with occasional guests) and my PC is in the smallest bedroom. This is at the front of the house and in summer when I open the window I can hear the woodpigeons calling, which is so restful. On the wall in the study is a map of Southern Africa which I'm using to plan my visit to Namibia and various postcards sent to me by friends from their travels. One wall has full to the brim bookshelves, mainly of travel books and travel writing.

We live in a large 4-bedroom house in Maputo and also pay a massive monthly rental for something that is way to big for 2 people and 3 cats …was however only descent place that was available when we moved to Moz. My one cat however enjoys these expensive wide-open spaces and uses it as a racetrack.
Our house borders a wetlands area. In front of the house the stream is contained in a cement channel, but a small distance on there are true wetlands…subsistent farmers even grow rice there. The area in front of our house is also used by ladies for subsistence farming…they work from very early in the morning, everything is done by hand and then left for the rain that may or may not come (I often try to wet their crops with my hosepipe over our wall ).
Every mornings I’m also treated with a lady that brings her goats to graze. They are all on rope leashes and she walks them like you will walk dogs. When there is a young one, she always carries it in her one arm…as a Christian it always makes me think of Jesus as the Herdsman.
In Maputo there isn’t really “good” and “bad” areas…expensive houses are right in the middle of shantytowns. Next to our complex is also an informal settle. The Mozambican people are however such amazing people and mixing with them is a wonderful experience. Everything is however not always moonshine in roses in a country that is one of the poorest in the world…lot of poverty and hardship. I’m constantly in a battle with the bird catcher who catch birds in front of my house and in the wetlands area. My SO has a few time threatened me with divorce because I go into the wetlands area to steal nets that has been put up to catch birds…might one of these days end up without a husband and in jail for theft. The community in the area has however found a liking in the crazy blond woman screaming at the bird catchers in an unknown language (I haven’t master Portuguese yet) and they themselves nowadays chase away the catchers.

Our house is one block away from the beachfront with these views

My view from our house includes this dilapidated building…for me this “see-through” building is beautiful…was upset when I heard rumours that it is going to be blown up. It is a real landmark in Maputo and even used by boatmen as a beckon when returning from Inhaca Island.

As I said in another post: Life in Africa is never dull…I always have something to see and find humour in…
Anybody for a pedicure?

Every weekend, if possible, we go to our REAL home…Marloth. This is however not where I chat on the Forum….no TV, Hi-fi or computer…only electronic gadget is the microwave.

I live in suburban Cape Town in a house I own. the shadow of Table Mountain passes over in the late afternoon. I am not a handyman or gardener, so my excuses for not having a manicured garden or freshly painted house are that we want a natural fynbos garden, and ant would be thieves will go to the fancy painted houses.

You can either have a garden OR a rottweiler. We have the latter.

Inside it looks like any shop in the Kruger Park. We have a pair of wooden cheetahs to welcome you at the front door. As yet there are no cubs.....

There is a fish eagle on top of the wall unit, and various other carvings in the lounge.

Mrs BB has made our bedroom into the elephant room, with some of her photos on the wall and other ele carvings about.

Mrs BB had a significant birthday recently and my dad bought her a bontebok skin, which is hanging in the lounge. I was at first horrified, but realised that bontebok are protected and are not hunted. To my relief there are no marks on it. I just hope it died of old age and that he was not conned.

Our children have all moved on from home, so we can do all this.

I thought Jay was weird, but looking at my post, I am not sure anymore

Whatever (according to BB): "You are correct but I don't want to admit it".

I live on a sugar cane farm, there are four houses a Park Home and a Lodge on the Farm. Yes, my garden is quite big and so is the house we live in which was built in 1964 by my parents. (I would much rather live in a smaller quaint little cottage!) The garden is about a Hectare in size, (takes about a day and a half to mow the lawn!!! YUKK) and has a 17 strand electric fence all around it, with one electric motor gate and one pedestrian gate which leads to the farm sheds and diesel tanks which are right next to the fence. (Its sad to have to live behind electric fences when one lives in the country).

The house is big, and I must admit I don’t like it at all – but it’s a house and I have tried to make it a home too. There are three cats and two dogs and they have certainly made it their home!

The house had four bedrooms but I have turned Willie’s, of ‘are there holes in rhino linings and spider bite on the bum and just had malaria fame’ into my office. I love my office….. its where my PC is and I have my pictures of the Sydney Olympics on the wall, and black and white ethnic curtains, and now two lovely pictures that two forumites, who shall remain nameless, took and sent to me. Thank you both. My view from my window in the office is of the garden, and there is a Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow bush outside it, which the birds love. The lesser striped swallows made a nest in the eves just outside the widow. Although I am a Virgo, and Virgo’s are meant to be tidy, my house is not very tidy at all…… in fact my Office has papers etc all over it, but I know where things are, so please don’t tidy it up!!!

So we are down to three bedrooms now, and three and a half bathrooms, (that half a bathroom, (guest loo) is a god send!)

The dinning room come lounge is open plan and badly laid out, as there is a fireplace in the lounge portion and the door is in the wrong place, and therefore you cant put chairs around the fire place to be able to sit around it!!!!!! Silly plan.!! We need to move the door, but we have a lovely sprung wooden floor, (which the termites are busy demolishing) and I really don’t think we have the workmen in this country to do a proper job of moving it, but if we could move the door we could sit round a fire in winter! All my chairs and sofa have throws over them as the cats think its there place to sleep, and the dogs think the side of the chairs make wonderful places to scratch themselves!!!

Off the lounge, through an arch, is a small room which we use all the time as a TV room. The kitchen is quite large, and it’s the one room in the house I changed a few years ago, and its much better now then it was. There is a scullery and a big walk in pantry, which is full of tinned food, dogs medicines and tick and flea stuff and junk!!!!! (no nice rows and rows of homemade jam and pickles etc that you would expect to find in a farm pantry!)

Most of the pictures hanging in my house are photographs that I took which I have had enlarged and framed. (Framing makes the pictures!) I have two pictures of Keunkenhoff Gardens, one of a sunset in Tasmania, a picture of a window and four other shop displays in Haweshead, a view over the harbour in Plokton, Scotland, a few Aussie scenes, one of buildings on the side of Lake Como, Pictures of Natures Valley. My favourite is the twins, at the age of about 10 feeding a goat in the fields around Olympia in Greece. Lots of flower pictures, (well they are in the guest loo and the bathrooms!) At least these pictures bring back memories of wonderful travels.

We have a fairly large verandah off our TV room and dining room, and we eat breakfast and lunch out there every day. (Well when the temperature is above freezing that is!) Our view from the verandah is of Phondo Mountain where the Queen Mothers Residence is and there are lovely cane fields in front.

I have a couple of pictures so will post those……….

Back of house or where you drive in.

Front of house with swimming pool

Verandah where we eat breakfast and lunch

View from verandah with young cane in the foreground

And one more for luck!!!! (I know it was said only four pics per post…… sorry Jose!)

A portion of the garden with the sheds in the background to your left

Don't forget to PM any Mod your Kudu nominations for the month.

If you want to list your Park Dates in the YR Thread then please PM me.